The Nerai (Nation Information)
In the darkness of the Void a race beyond ancient lurks. It is a race that has already conquered one galaxy, a race that no longer has organic limitations, one that feels nothing for the concept of good and evil. The Nerai Ascendency is coming, and they come with an urgency that will see them across the galaxy and through the core. Unknown to all save the Nerai, though, is the cause for this urgency. Nearly a thousand years ago, they set off from their home galaxy with everything, and without looking back. They had caused an event so irrevocably destructive that they were forced to leave their galaxy, and forsake their old gods. Whatever they may have caused, they flee from it with all-speed, and will destroy any who dare stand in their path. Despite the circumstances that have caused their mass-evacuation, the Nerai still maintain their culture, and unflinchingly cling to their tenets. These tenets are those that guide their entire society and dictate their rigid system of honor, a system developed by a member of the race which preceded them, the Isoterix. There is little known information on how the Isoterix Empire ended, and how the Nerai Ascendency began, but nearly everything known about the two points to the sudden rise of the Nerai as the Isoterix suddenly ended. Most of the Nerai culture, is in fact, Isoterix culture, from their heavily asiatic influences to their honor system, and even their language has similarities to asiatic cultures from earth. The upper classes of the Nerai have a love for the arts, foremost being the operas of old Isox, long grim dramas detailing the stories of warriors forgotten on the fields of battle, or laying down their life for home and country. The Isoterix Empire who preceded the Nerai were a highly focused empire from over a million years ago that sought the unity of their entire galaxy under their rule, to the extent that the other half of their nation, the Tsintic, came to disagreements with them. The Tsintic and Isoterix disagreed repeatedly during their long history as a species, one usually appealing to the other, with several of these appeals mutually beneficial to both sides of the species. One of these such appeals was the creation of the Orikali Tenets, a rigid set of tenets dictating how wars should be fought, and bringing an in-depth honor system to the Isoterix Conclaves. Other times though, the two sides nearly came to blows. Such an event caused the Isoterix to part ways with the Tsintic, when the Tsintic refused to allow the subjugation of another nation, a fledgling race of primitive humans that had not even achieved FTL. The Isoterix, refusing to strike their fellows, chose to leave the galaxy, vowing to one day reunite with their wayward siblings. Nation Perks: Precursor Race: Precursor races are those who have seen stars die, and born again, so ancient are they. These are super-advanced races whose technology makes those of lesser races look like mere toys. They have the benefit of either wisdom beyond the ages, or simply the sheer strength of arms to have survived the eons to this day and age. This is not to say they are without flaw, however, for many times will their hubris cloud them to the lesser races, and this mistake has happened once before when an elder race uplifted a tiny nation of humans that became the Golden Empire. Constructs: The Nerai are, regardless of size or purpose, constructs. They are all made of the same metalloid that refuses attempts to identify it, and even their weapons and machines are made of it. The material is incredibly receptive to Aetheric energies, and resistant to extreme temperatures and pressures to a larger degree than most mundane metals. The metalloid also refuses any attempt at a symmetrical structure, adhering to a seemingly random angular structure. Due to being constructs the Nerai have no need of food, sleep, or even air. Extragalactic: The Nerai, being from another galaxy, utilize technology and principles that operate on a different level of physics. They utilize technologies that would baffle most nations by sheer complexity, their cold-reactors and Aetherium drives being foremost among these. Another interesting thing about the Nerai is that they utilize their metalloid to an exclusive extent, requiring no other material or resource other than stellar energy. Aetheric Mastery: The Nerai are masters of Aetherium use, able to even travel along the Aetherium Corridors. This leads to most of their technology revolving around a dual use of both extremely advanced tech, and the psuedo-sorcery of Aetherium use. Evacuation Fleet: The Nerai, being on the run, have brought with them a large portion of their heritage, including the Nexus of Creation, a device that retains the full knowledge of both the Nerai and the Isoterix. This is a relic of such age and value that the Nerai prophet is the only being allowed in the room containing the Nexus. The Nexus allows other Nerai to connect to it and acquire knowledge from it on an as needed basis, allowing them to learn any language that has been inloaded, or know how to operate any machine that the Nerai have knowledge of. Nation Flaws: Fleetbound: Nations with this flaw are Fleetbound, and so have no homeworld. They are limited to what resources they can take with them, and are left vulnerable to space-borne attacks without the benefit of a planet's gravity well or ability to heavily fortify. There are some benefits to this, in that a Fleetbound nation is one of the most mobile nations, and while being open to Void-Warfare, will be experts in it. Evacuation Fleet: The Nerai are not a full invasion-fleet, and as such, most of their actual war-power has been converted to large Saviour-Ships. This also means that their primary concern will not be to conquer, but to continue moving. This has also created the circumstance where the Nerai have only what they brought with them available, leading to the inability to replenish their fleet. War-Given-Form: On the other hand, the Nerai are the epitome of a war-based empire, one that has seen an entire galaxy brought to its knees, and to stand in their path would be folly. They have little patience with those who would bar their path, leading to hostile negotiations at best. The Nerai also tend to take slight against those who besmirch their honor, even if the slight was unintended, and will insist on an honor duel in order to correct the slight. On the plus side, if the opponent agrees, then the slight will be forgotten after the duel, and nation talks will be significantly more peaceful. On the other hand, the rules retain the old Isoterix system of "First-Blood" from the face. The Nerai-Forms Due to the unique nature of the Nerai, there is no solid main race. As such, there are literally dozens of sub-races and Nerai-forms. By far the most numerous of the Nerai is the two sub-races, the Nuvanai and the Nerakai. Both form the bulk of the Nerai military from their overall dependability and their unique strengths. The Nuvanai are more humanoid in appearance and build, and are generally more susceptible to the environment than other Nerai, but have proven to be resilient soldiers in many of the Nerai's crusades. The Nerakai on the other hand are about twice the size of the Nuvanai, and are heavier in their build. Nerakai are generally the shock-troops/heavy-weapons specialists in that their build allows them to use larger weapons without encumbering them. Nerakai are generally around 12-15 ft tall and can survive in many environments where the more agile Nuvanai would not. The Nerakai are also much less adept at harnessing the Aetherium streams than their cousins, most notably the Nuvanai. The Nuvanai are more in touch with the Aetherium, and thusly more proficient in the use of Aether, able to use it to impressive effect depending upon the mastery level of the user. For those Nerai who choose to specialize in Aether-based functions, there is always the NuvanatiSelgrantim, the academies of Arcane combat. Another of the various Nerai-forms is the Khezzardan, a lithe predator-like Nerai that is more akin to a large feline of earth. These creatures do not adhere to the Orikali Tenets, and therefore are used more reservingly, typically "loosed" on an enemy which has proven resilient to direct assaults. They are very dexterous, and generally prefer taller surfaces for a reason that defies all logic, leading them to suddenly attack from above without warning. The Khezzardan are not kept with the rest of the Nerai, and are instead kept within their own Battlespheres, as the Nerai dislike the creatures but cannot simply dispose of them. Also of note are the massive Azhad-Kharsi, vast war-walkers that are used by the Nerai as support platforms. They are unlike Nerai vessels, in that despite being a machine of the Nerai, they actually have a more pronounced soul and personality, given to making their own decisions without piloting. They are typically heavily armed, and their weapons are more fully part of them than other Nerai forms, so re-arming is somewhat of a painful process for them, and as such they must rest for long periods after re-arming. Many of the Azhad are infuriatingly serene, taken to the sights of a world and impulsively wandering. It is such that during the Unification Wars, the Nerai had to delay their advance due to missing nearly a dozen of their Azhad-Kharsi, going back to find them wandering the worlds they had been left on with alien beings clinging to the backs of the gentle giants. Unlike the Khezzardan, the Azhad-Kharsi's disdain for the Orikali Tenets are borne of a more pacifist inclination, and the Council of Kharsinin is a typically slow and grueling process of back and forth between their ruling ancient and the Cataphract. Racial Perks: Construct: The Nerai are, regardless of size or purpose, constructs. They are all made of the same metalloid that refuses attempts to identify it, and even their weapons and machines are made of it. The material is incredibly receptive to Aetheric energies, and resistant to extreme temperatures and pressures to a larger degree than most mundane metals. The metalloid also refuses any attempt at a symmetrical structure, adhering to a seemingly random angular structure. Due to being constructs the Nerai have no need of food, sleep, or even air. Aetherium Mastery: The Nerai are adept users of the Aether, able to use it to varied extent. Foremost among these Aetherium users are the Nuvanai of the Nuvanati-Selgrantim, those who use the Aetherium for nearly every purpose in the name of the Nerai. The Nerai also are naturally connected to their technology, and attuned to the life-force of organics, though their aptitude with life-force attunement has diminished to an extent in that they are only capable of vague detection. Racial Flaws: Honor-Bound: The Nerai operate on a strict set of tenets defining how they must operate in the arts of war, and as such they are sometimes seen as inflexible, both in combat and outside it. This leaves them prone to taking insult, and demanding a duel to avenge the slight. The only real exception to this code of honor is their ruling class, as they are the ones who must actively associate with heathens who know nothing of their honor. There Can be Only One: The Nerai are a highly spiritual people, clinging to their faith above everything else. This has resulted in an outright hostility to other religions, to a degree that they could be called zealots. Nerai: Due to the strange material that they are made of, the Nerai are unable to resupply, and are forced to make do with what they have. Therefore, any injuries sustained are typically repaired from either fallen Nerai, or non-functioning machine parts. Category:The Nerai